South Ealing Conservative Association

Constituency changes: The county of Middlesex formerly returned two members of parliament for the undivided county. In 1885 seven parliamentary divisions were formed for the county. One of these was the parliamentary division of Ealing. The MP elected to represent the new division was Lord George Hamilton, who had previously been one of the two county MP's. In 1918 the parliamentary borough of Ealing was formed (the municipal borough had come into existence in 1901) and remained relatively unchanged until 1915 when the Ealing East and Ealing West constituencies were carved out of it. Further changes in 1948 replaced these with Ealing North and Ealing South. Later constituency changes are outside the period covered by the records. From 1906-1931 Ealing was represented in parliament by Herbert (later Sir Herbert) Nield, a Conservative. He was followed by Sir Frank Anderson, likewise Conservative, who represented Ealing until 1945 and Ealing East until 1950, and Angus Maude, Conservative, who represented Ealing South from 1950.

Local Conservative Association: It has not been possible to discover the date of the foundation of a Conservative Association in Ealing, but the evidence of the first surviving minute book {ACC/1338/1} shows that the District Conservative and Unionist Association was well established by 1915. The changes in constituencies caused changes in the name of the association. The association, before 1919, was known as the Ealing District Conservative and Unionist Association which endured until 1945. Ealing East Conservative and Unionist Association and then Ealing South Conservative and Unionist Association followed the changes in constituency boundaries of the post war years. The main work of the association was carried out by an executive committee meeting monthly. A general committee later known as the council met infrequently, usually immediately before the Annual General Meeting. A variety of minor or sub-committees dealt with finance, social matters, politics and propaganda, all reporting back to the executive committee.

The constituency was divided into wards, which over the period covered by the records, varied in number from six to nine, i.e. Drayton Ward, Castlebar Ward, Mount Park Ward, Brent Valley Ward, Lammas Ward, Manor Ward, Grange Ward, Greenford and Perivale Ward and Grosvenor Ward. Each ward had its committee usually meeting monthly. Two of these wards are represented in the records. Young people over the age of 16 were catered for politically by the Junior Imperial League, a national body founded in 1906. A junior branch of the Ealing Association replaced this in 1945 and was itself replaced by the Young Conservatives formed in 1948. The women's section of the association were responsible in the 1930's for organising groups on a ward basis, known as Young Britons. Children under the age of 16 made up the membership of these groups and many moved on later to become Junior Imperialists.